Character bearing article



y 1936- E. 5. MIX 2,040,012

CHARACTER BEARING ARTICLE Filed Feb. 1, 1936 Patented May 5, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARACTER BEARING ARTICLE Application'February 1, 1936, Serial No. 61,995

13 Claims.

This invention relates to character bearing articles.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel mounting or holder for association therewith of a character bearing member particularly for use in the arts of cravat holders, Watch chains, bracelets, lapel watch guards, cuff links, stick pins and suspender buckles as well as for use in other arts where initials, monograms, symbols, insignia or other character or legend bearing articles are used or desired.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a character or legend bearing holder of neat and attractive design including ornamental bars and which, except for the bars, is substantially concealed from view in the use of the article by the character or legend bearing members carried by the holder.

A still further object of the present invention resides in the holder of the nature stated including an open ended seat fairlysnugly occupied by a character carrying panel pressed or otherwise positioned into securing connection with the holder.

It is still further designed to provide the combination of a holder having a seat in the front face thereof and provided with a recess in the back thereof and an opening in alinement with the recess, the recess and opening coinciding with the seat and the latter adapted to receive a character carrying panel withthe ends of the latter effectively secured in said recess and said opening whereby to attractively mount and firmly secure the character carrying panel in position on the holder.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention..

In the drawing:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the invention unapplied.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the holder with the panels removed.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view looking at the rear of the holder with the panels removed.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the panels immediately prior to application thereof to the holder.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing one adaptation of the invention as applied to a cravat 5-. holder.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view illustrating another adaptation of the invention as applied to a clasp for necktie holding or other purposes.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, the reference character A indicates, generally, an initial, symbol, emblem, insignia, legend or other character bearing holder comprising a rectangular or other shaped relatively thin member I which is curved slightly transversely or otherwise formed to present a convex front face.

Spaced, transversely disposed, vertical bars 2 project from the outer face of the body member I, defining open ended seats 3 adapted to re- 20 ceive the-character bearing panels 4 composed of pliable metal or other suitable material and which may be. of a color contrasting with the color of the bars 2, if desired, for the sake of neatness or attractiveness.

Each character bearing panel 4 has a pliable hook 5 at one end adapted to extend over the upper edge of the body member I and secured to the latter while the opposite end.6.is adapted to be bent rearwardly over the respective edge of 0 the body member I and secured to the latter. For instance, the body member. I is provided at the rear face at its upper edgewith a plurality of longitudinally alining recesses or openings 1 which coincide with the respective front seats 3 and provided at its lower portion with longitudinally alining openings or recesses 8 coinciding with the said front seats 3 and arranged in vertical alinement with the. aforesaid recesses 1. The recesses I and the openings 8 are preferably of a configuration corresponding to the configuration of the ends of the panels 4.

The character bearing panels 4 are preferably composed of thin metal or other suitable bendable or pliable material, each having a hook end 5, as stated. This hooked end 5 of each panel is adapted to be readily hooked over the upper edge of the body member I and the hook readily pressed or otherwise positioned in the respective upper recess 1 at the upper rear edge of the body member I. Each panel 4 is scored on its inner face transversely at the end thereof opposite the hooked end 5, as indicated at 9, to insure a sharp bend when the end 6 of the panel is bent over the lower edge of the body member I to facilitate ready and effective bending of the end 6 of the panel 4 along the lower edge of the body member I backwardly or rearwardly for securing engagement, by pressure or otherwise, in the respective opening 8 to fill the opening and to lie flush with the body member I. 7

With the extremities 5 and 6 of the panels 4 lying within the recesses 1 and the openings 8 the panels are effectively secured to the body member and as these extremities of the panels are preferably pressed below or even with the rear surface of the body member I a smooth assembly is presented which will prevent catching of the holder on wearing apparel.

The transverse curvature of the body member I gives to the holder a convex outer formation but this outer convex formation may be otherwise formed and the convex outer formation not only adds to the appearance of the article but also renders it possible to .obtain a smoother application and fit of the character bearing panels on the holder than would be possible if the face of the body frame or member I were flat. By cornpelling the character bearing panels, upon application to the frame or body member I, to bend slightly, incident to the transverse curvature of the front'face of the frame or body member I, certain little irregularities creeping into the manufacture of the article have been eliminated and a compactness of structure obtained. The result is a slightly rounded form given to the front face of the article which goes to neatness and attractiveness as well as providing for a snug fit of the character bearingpanels on the frame or body member I.

In the use of the present invention initials, insignia, emblems, symbols, legends or other character bearing panels are delivered to a dealer in assortments on cards or otherwise so that a dealer may readily select any desired panels according to fancies, needs or desires of a user and the particular character bearing member or members are readily and quickly applied to the holder by the dealer. By virtue of theform of the panels they may be applied-t the holder very quickly by-a dealer or others and by reason of scoring the panels to provide for a sharp bend in the application of the panels to the holder distortion of the faces of the panels is prevented.

To illustrate one use of the present invention there is illustrated in Fig. 6 the application of the invention as applied to a cravat holder indicated generally by the reference character B. This cravat holder as shown for purposes of illustration comprises a clasp I0 of any suitable character to which chains II are detachably connected at their inner ends and from the lower ends of which chains H the present article is suspended by engagement of the chains or other flexible members in the eyes l2 of the brackets [3 projecting'from the ends of the holder. These brackets are eliminated from the structure illustrated in the first form described because the brackets are not needed if the article is applied to a clasp, such as clasp C, illustrated in Fig. 7 wherein the article is soldered, spot welded or otherwise secured to the bar N of the clasp C or an integral part of the bar, preferably intermediate the ends of the bar, as shown. As previously stated the present character bearing article may be used in association with other merchandise.

It will be understood that the present character bearing article may be composed of precious o non-precious metals and that exceptfor the 0mg...-

mental spacing bars 2 the support member I is substantially concealed in the rear of the character carrying panels 4 when the article is in use.

What is claimed is:--

1. In combination, a character bearing holder comprising a body member having a vertically disposed convex front face provided with equidistantly spaced parallel bars defining intervening front seats extending from the top to the bottom of the body member, said body member being provided at its rear face at the upper edge thereof with longitudinally alining recesses coinciding with said front seats and said body member being provided at its lower portion with equidistantly spaced alining openings coinciding with said frontseats, and character bearing members disposed in said seats and having their extremities fitted in the respective recesses and openings to secure the character bearing members to the holder. 7

2. In combination, a character bearing holder comprising a body member having a vertically disposed convex front face provided with equidistantly spaced parallel bars defining intervening front seats extending from the top to the bottom of the body member, said body member being provided at its rear face at the upper edge thereof with longitudinally alining recesses coinciding with said front seats and said body member being provided at its lower portion with equidistantly spaced alining openings coinciding with said front seats, and character bearing members disposed in I said seats and having their extremities fitted in the respective recesses and openings to secure the character bearing members to the holder, said recesses and openings permitting the extremities of the character bearing members .to be arranged in flush relation to the exposed rear face of said body member.

3. In combination, a holder comprising a relatively thin rigid plate having spaced bars on the front face thereof forming countersunk seats, and character bearing panels located in said seats and having their extremities extending over opposite edges of said plate and secured to the latter at the rear thereof, the panels lying below the outer edges of said bars and with said bars concealing the front face of the plate from view.

4. In combination, a holder comprising a body member provided on its front face with spaced ornamental bars forming open ended seats and on the rear face thereof having recesses coinciding with said seats and in its lower portion having openings arranged one between the bars of each seat, and character bearing panels arranged in said seats and having their extremities fitted in the respective recesses and openings to detachably secure the panels on the body member, the front face of the body member, except for said bars, being concealed from View by said panels, exposing to front view in the use of thearticle only the panels and bars.

5. In combination, a holder, and a series of character bearing panels having extensions at the ends thereof bendable around relatively opposite edges of said holder, said holder having spaced apart bars on its front face defining between them seats for said panels, and having upon its rear face recesses adjacent, and opposite to, the upper ends of said seats to receive, below the normal surface of said rear face, the upper extremities of said bendable extensions and openings formed in the holder to receive the opposite ends of the panels. r

6. A holder for the support of character bearing panels comprising a plate having a equidistantly spaced bars projecting from the front face thereof forming seats for the character bearing panels and in the rear face thereof having recesses coinciding with said seats and also having openings spaced from said recesses and coinciding with said seats.

7. A holder for the mounting of a character bearing panel comprising a transversely curved plate presenting a front convex surface and on the front face having bars projecting therefrom forming a seat for the character bearing panel and on the rear face having a recess to receive one end of the panel and also having an opening spaced from said recess and arranged between the bars to receive the opposite end of the panel.

8. A holder for the mounting of a character bearing panel comprising a body member having spaced bars projecting from the front face thereof from the upper edge to the lower edge of the body member to provide an open ended seat for a character bearing panel, said body member having a recess in the rear face thereof to receive one end of the panel and also having an opening therein to receive the opposite end of the panel.

9. A character bearing holder comprising a thin substantially rectangular body presenting a vertically convex front face having spaced parallel bars defining intervening front seats extending from the top to the bottom of the body and adapted to receive character bearing panels, said body being provided at its rear face at its upper edge with a group of recesses coinciding with the seats of the front face of the body and each adapted to be detachably engaged by an end of one of said panels, said body being also provided at its lower portion with openings located within the front seats of the body and adapted to be concealed by said panels and be engaged at the rear face of the body by portions of said panels, said recesses and openings permitting the ends of the said members to be arranged in flush relation to exposed portions of the body.

10. In combination, a holder comprising a member having spaced ornamental bars on the front face thereof extending forwardly therefrom providing spaced open-ended vertically disposed seats, and separate relatively thin character bearing panels located in said seats and having their extremities extending over opposite edges of said member to the rear face of the latter to secure said panels on said member, the panels being of a thickness less than the outwardly extending thickness of said bars whereby to substantially countersink the character bearing panels on the front face of said member between said bars.

11. In combination, aholder comprising a member provided with an open-ended seat on its front face and on its rear face having oppositely disposed portions to receive the extremities of a panel, and a character bearing panel located in said seat and having the opposite extremities thereof bent over the corresponding opposite edges of the holder and secured in said receiving portions at the rear face of said member whereby to secure the panel in said seat.

12. In combination, a holder comprising a member having spaced vertical bars on the front face thereof extending forwardly therefrom providing spaced vertically disposed seats, and separate relatively thin character bearing panels secured in said seats, the panels being of a width substantially the same as the width of the seats and being of a thickness less than the thickness of said bars whereby to countersink the character bearing panels on the front face of said member between the bars.

13. In combination, a holder comprising a member having spaced bars on the front face thereof extending forwardly therefrom providing a seat, and a relatively thin character bearing panel occupying said seat and detachably secured therein, the panel being of a thickness less than the thickness of said bars whereby to countersink the panel on the front face of said member between said bars.

EDWIN S. MIX. 

